The Conceptual Plan for reshaping the Congress Avenue Corridor in Bath being pursued by Bath Housing, which will be done in three phases. Courtesy of Bath Housing

The nonprofit Bath Housing is planning a new residential neighborhood in one of the city’s underutilized corridors to ease the local housing crunch.

Bath Housing aims to transform the area along Congress Avenue, which stretches from Centre Street north, into a residential community with a range of housing options for families of all incomes.

“This development is vital to the future of Bath’s economy by providing a diversity of housing types for all families in our area struggling to find attainable housing,” said Director of Community and Economic Development Misty Parker. “Every community needs accessible housing, and every community deserves options.”

Bath has an aging, limited housing stock, and the city’s new Comprehensive Plan outlines the need to accommodate growth and change in the local housing market.

Aceto Landscape Architects developed the conceptual blueprint. With 17.28 acres to work with, Bath Housing plans to place up to 190 housing units on Congress Avenue. A conservation easement with Kennebec Estuary Land Trust will be placed on the back 10.28 acres.

According to Bath Housing Executive Director Debora Keller, the reshaping of Congress Avenue will take three to seven years, spread across three phases, including the North, Middle and South yards. The neighborhood will cater to a mix of family incomes, including those earning less than 80% of the area median income, middle-income households earning 80% to 120% of median income and market-rate units over 120% of median income.

“We wanted to hit what is affectionately called the missing middle, and we wanted to make sure that middle-income families also had an opportunity for good, high-quality, sustainable and durable housing that meets their needs,” Keller said.

The 3D rendering of the Anchorage South Affordable Housing to be built at 80 Congress Ave. by Bath Housing. Courtesy of Bath Housing

Over the summer, the South Yard received municipal approval from the Planning Board and City Council for the contract zone in the northeast corner of Congress Avenue and Centre Street for the Anchorage South housing project, with site plan and subdivision approval and tax increment financing.

The South Yard will replace The Anchorage, Bath Housing’s oldest property, which is deemed “functionally obsolete.”

“We are designing highly energy-efficient, high-quality, durable, long-lasting housing,” said Seth Parker, Bath Housing’s director of real estate development. “Smartly engineered buildings offer a stable and healthy future for our residents, [which is] a key focus of Bath Housing.”

The Anchorage residents have been involved in planning and weighing in on the unit layout, building access and amenities. Anchorage South is for residents 55 and older who will have some income restrictions.

To make the South Anchorage apartments possible, Bath Housing will move its administrative office to its new 520 Centre St. project, which is currently under construction and set to be completed in the summer of 2025.

Developers Collaborative, a Portland-based real estate company, will develop the North Yard at 150 Congress Ave. This development will include up to 84 market-rate housing units for Bath employees who commute long distances. The North Yard is in the permitting process through the Bath Planning Board.

The final phase of the reshaping process is the Middle Yard at 100 Congress Ave. after the Anchorage residents move into their new homes. Bath Housing plans to develop a series of house lots along the Edgett Street portion that will keep with the existing streetscape and could support up to 60 additional housing units.

“We are thinking about the future not only in terms of numbers of units and market stability; we are building sustainably, preserving acres of land and truly thinking about the future throughout the whole process,” Keller said.

The guiding principles that drove the planning process of Bath Housing’s vision are incorporating a mix of housing types and diverse scales, prioritizing people and community spaces first, and using landscaping to create outdoor rooms with a sense of place.